Max Irons angered agent with franchise snub
Max Irons infuriated his agent by turning down a lucrative role in a blockbuster franchise because he had already appeared in two teen-focused movies.
The Brit, whose father is actor Jeremy Irons, got his big break starring opposite Amanda Seyfried in 2011's Red Riding Hood, a fantasy film by Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke.
He then played the romantic lead in the film version of Stephenie
Meyer's novel The Host, but he subsequently turned down a big money
role in a major franchise to avoid being typecast - much to the
chagrin of his agent.
He tells Britain's The Times newspaper, "I was asked to audition
for another franchise recently. It was a very similar role to ones
I've played before, and I said to my agent: 'I can't do this.' And
they said: 'Don't get all precious now, because this one will boost
you right to the top of the pecking order and there'll be another
zero at the end of all your pay cheques.' And I said, 'The problem
is, if I were to do it, I would want to quit.' It's just not
fulfilling'."
Irons is currently shooting Posh, the big screen adaptation of a
play about an upper-class boys club at Britain's prestigious Oxford
University, and he is convinced choosing thought-provoking roles
will ensure career longevity.
He adds, "Something like Posh might actually make a difference to
the way people think about things. That's much more exciting. But
if you play the six-pack game, there are 100 people behind you who
look the same and can do the same, waiting to take your place."